It has been raining all night and is forecasted to rain for the next three days. It is April. This is to be expected. Rain is what we need, wet sustenance. The water feeds the seeds and plants, the greenery feeds minds and imaginations. Yes, springtime rain is what we all need. As I was thinking about the rain, a word popped into my head: subterranean. So much of what happens in this growing season is unseen, a secret of nourishment. I decided to play with this idea of underground, of what is happening in the subterranean world. What dark wonders occur that are the impetus for such verdant beauty?
I am grateful for these two platforms for providing inspiration. My inspiration for Underground comes from NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month: 30 Poems in 30 Days, which was created by Maureen Thorson. NaPoWriMo suggested writing a poem whose first word in each line creates a line of poetry.
My inspiration for Subterranean comes from Verse-Love, Ethical ELA, which was created by Sarah J. Donovan. Mo Daley provided the cherita idea. The cherita was created by English poet, ai li. Cherita means story or tale in Malay. The form consists of 3 stanzas- one line in the first, two in the second, and three in the third.


